DEV Community: Gurcharan Singh

DIY Solar Panel : 10 Steps (with Pictures)

Gurcharan Singh — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 11:35:00 +0000

Creating a solar panel out of broken re-used solar cell pieces. In addition, you will need some conductive copper mesh (available at most art stores), glue gun + sticks, a multimeter and a conductive pen (or any sort of conductive brush-on -

I got my conductive silver pen here). In this tutorial, I will try to explain the best technique I found to connect these broken cells, in order to create your own CHEAP solar panel.

Step 1: Get the Solar Cells

this is how the cells can look like when they arrive

Step 2: Check Power and Ground

When you look at the solar cell, make sure you check voltage between the positive side (the back side which is usually grey) and the negative side (which is the black side, with all the lines on it) of each cell.

You can simply use a multimeter by placing its leads on the cell itself. This step is crucial, otherwise you'll connect bad cells in the middle of your link, causing the whole panel not to work.

Step 3: Use Conductive Pen If Needed

You need to make sure that all the tiny little lines in the negative side of the cells are interconnected (a way to gather all the electrons from the surface).

This step is not necessary for all cells, only for the ones like in this picture, which don't have any connection between the lines on the surface.

You can use the conductive pen to draw a thin line which connects all of them. Once you do that, you will immediately see the voltage rising for that specific cell.

Step 4: Cell With Conductive Pen Line

here's an example of a cell with the conductive pen line on it, linking between the tiny conductive leads on the negative side of the solar cell.

Step 5: Linking the Cells

This can get a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it, can be done fast enough. First, some technical notes: In order to get higher voltage, you need to connect two cells in series.

This means that the negative part of the first connects to the positive part of the second. As you continue to add more cells in series, you will get a higher voltage from side to side on your solar strip. This is all good, but if your cells are small-ish, they won't generate much amperage.

So even if you have a high voltage, you probably won't be able to give it any load (probably will hardly light an LED).

In order to get higher amperage through the circuit, you need to connect cells in parallel (positive side to positive side, negative side to negative side).

When you do this, make sure the positive and negative leads (copper mesh in this case) don't short themselves out.
I found that the best way to connect between two cells was to use hot glue and some conductive mesh.

The mesh is good since it allows light to come through it, and we all love glue guns. So all you need to do is glue the mesh onto the solar cell surface.

Its always better to have a longer strip of mesh on the surface, with a big enough shared surface space between the two.

Always check with a multimeter that there is connectivity, and that there is voltage coming through. Its a bummer later to try and figure out where the problem is.

Step 6: Example Measurement for 2-cell Link

Step 7: Example Measurements From a 6-cell Link

This solar array can light an LED when close to the window. (I know... doesn't help much)
But it can definitely charge a battery... (instructable still in the making...)

Step 8: Silicon Coating

I highly recommend applying a silicon coating to your solar array. The cells are so fragile, and the links can easily detach or move out of place. A thin coat of silicon keeps it all in place... and also gives it a very cool effect!

Step 9: Solar Jelly

A little Solar Jellyfish. I put a battery and servo motor inside. When there was enough light on it, the object moved its legs up and down just like a jellyfish (video coming very soon...). And when it was dark, it lit up from inside and became a light display.
A bit messy, but still a prototype.

Step 10: Hope This Helped

Congratulations! You have now created a solar cell!

You can measure the output of the cell by attaching alligator clips to both of the exposed parts of the plate and to the leads of the voltmeter (dial now set to millivolts). mine generates about 25 millivolts when exposed directly to sunlight (simulated with a lamp)

You have now created a working solar cell!

This could be the start of something bigger, one individual cell does not produce a lot of electricity but if you were to make multiple larger versions of these it could really produce quite some electricity. Use your imagination!

Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comment section!

WebRTC Example in React Native!

Gurcharan Singh — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 10:00:35 +0000

The latest and greatest boilerplate for Infinite Red opinions
This project using mobx state tree, socket IO and react-native-webrtc

Currently includes:

React Native
React Navigation
MobX State Tree
TypeScript
And more!
Quick Start
Backend repo and setup
https://github.com/vantuan88291/WebRTCsignalServer

Overview

Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tuan88291.webrtcdemo

The Ignite boilerplate project’s structure will look similar to this:

ignite-project
`├── app
│ ├── components
│ ├── i18n
│ ├── utils
│ ├── models
│ ├── navigation
│ ├── screens
│ ├── services
│ ├── theme
│ ├── app.tsx
├── storybook
│ ├── views
│ ├── index.ts
│ ├── storybook-registry.ts
│ ├── storybook.ts
│ ├── toggle-storybook.tsx
├── test
│ ├── snapshots
│ ├── storyshots.test.ts.snap
│ ├── mock-i18n.ts
│ ├── mock-reactotron.ts
│ ├── setup.ts
│ ├── storyshots.test.ts
├── README.md
├── android
│ ├── app
│ ├── build.gradle
│ ├── gradle
│ ├── gradle.properties
│ ├── gradlew
│ ├── gradlew.bat
│ ├── keystores
│ └── settings.gradle
├── ignite
│ ├── ignite.json
│ └── plugins
├── index.js
├── ios
│ ├── IgniteProject
│ ├── IgniteProject-tvOS
│ ├── IgniteProject-tvOSTests
│ ├── IgniteProject.xcodeproj
│ └── IgniteProjectTests
├── .env
└── package.json

./app directory`
Included in an Ignite boilerplate project is the app directory. This is a directory you would normally have to create when using vanilla React Native.

The inside of the src directory looks similar to the following:

app
│── components
│── i18n
├── models
├── navigation
├── screens
├── services
├── theme
├── utils
└── app.tsx

components This is where your React components will live. Each component will have a directory containing the .tsx file, along with a story file, and optionally .presets, and .props files for larger components. The app will come with some commonly used components like Button.

i18n This is where your translations will live if you are using react-native-i18n.

models This is where your app’s models will live. Each model has a directory which will contain the mobx-state-tree model file, test file, and any other supporting files like actions, types, etc.

navigation This is where your react-navigation navigators will live.

screens This is where your screen components will live. A screen is a React component which will take up the entire screen and be part of the navigation hierarchy. Each screen will have a directory containing the .tsx file, along with any assets or other helper files.

services Any services that interface with the outside world will live here (think REST APIs, Push Notifications, etc.).

theme Here lives the theme for your application, including spacing, colors, and typography.

utils This is a great place to put miscellaneous helpers and utilities. Things like date helpers, formatters, etc. are often found here. However, it should only be used for things that are truely shared across your application. If a helper or utility is only used by a specific component or model, consider co-locating your helper with that component or model.

app.tsx This is the entry point to your app. This is where you will find the main App component which renders the rest of the application.

./ignite directory
The ignite directory stores all things Ignite, including CLI and boilerplate items. Here you will find generators, plugins and examples to help you get started with React Native.

./storybook directory
This is where your stories will be registered and where the Storybook configs will live.

./test directory
This directory will hold your Jest configs and mocks, as well as your storyshots test file. This is a file that contains the snapshots of all your component storybooks.

Android version
https://github.com/vantuan88291/WebRTCdemoAndroid

Download Details:
Author: vantuan88291

Source Code: https://github.com/vantuan88291/WebRTC_React_Native

Big Solar Projects/Farms in Latin American country

Gurcharan Singh — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 07:26:25 +0000

As in the rest of the world, Latin America also seeks to reduce the consumption of energy produced by fossil fuels as much as possible. Although the energy produced by oil and natural gas still predominates with 65% of the total energy produced, renewable sources such as solar are beginning to have a presence, in 2020 it is estimated that 6% of the energy produced was solar.

Countries like Chile, Brazil and Mexico have managed to excel in this area thanks to the investment they have made to have a greater number of massive solar plants. Next, we will talk about the largest photovoltaic plants in Latin America, where they are located, how much energy they produce, and what was their cost.

The solar panels are out of sight, over a large area as more than 1,500 football fields. Pirapora, the largest photovoltaic power plant in Latin America, should enable Brazil to catch up with its delay in solar energy.

The commissioning of this complex, operated by EDF Énergies Nouvelles (a subsidiary of the USA energy company specializing in renewable energy sources) took place at the beginning of September and the second of the three phases of the project began to produce electricity.
When the assembly will be operational, towards the end of the first half of 2018, the complex will have an installed capacity of 400 megawatts (MW). Enough to provide electricity to 420,000 homes.

An "emblematic project" for EDF EN

"This is an emblematic project, of an exceptional size, on a site which has the advantage of being flat, with little vegetation and strong sunshine, near a very high voltage connection", explains Paulo Abranches. , Managing Director of EDF-Énergies Nouvelles (EDF-EN) in Brazil.

The 800-hectare site is isolated in a plain 350 kilometers north of Belo Horizonte, capital of the state of Minas Gerais (south-east), in the heart of sparse vegetation, scorched by the sun. To visit it, you have to wear gaiters that look like soccer shin guards, in order to avoid snake or spider bites.

If you think Solar panel would make your home appears dull then learn more interesting facts about solar energy.

Positioned 1.20 meters from the ground, the panels are tilted and pivot following the movements of the sun, under the action of a device that is itself powered by solar energy. At noon, they are practically horizontal, when the sun is at its zenith. If the sky is loaded with clouds, production continues, even if it is 30% lower, says the operator.

1.2 million photovoltaic panels to be installed

EDF EN owns 80% of the shares in the Pirapora photovoltaic park, the total investment of which is estimated at more than 2 billion reais (around 520 million dollars).

The remaining 20% is held by Canadian Solar, one of the leaders in the sector, responsible for the manufacture of some 1.2 million photovoltaic panels in the complex, in a factory located in the state of Sao Paulo (south-east).

Local manufacture at a cost. "30 to 40% higher" than if these panels were imported from China, recognizes Paulo Abranches.

But that was the condition for Pirapora to also become the first power plant of this type to benefit from a loan from the Public Development Bank of Brazil (BNDES).

Funding of 529 million reais for the first phase, about half of the investment made at this stage of the project.

For Marcus Cardoso, head of the energy sector at BNDES, investing in solar energy "is a top priority" for Brazil to keep its commitments made during the Paris agreements: to increase the renewable share in the total production of energy to 45%. energy by 2030.

Brazil lagging behind

For the moment, the share of solar amounts to only 0.2% of the country's electricity production, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Energy, dating from August.

"Brazil is only beginning to make up for the 15-year delay in this area," admits Rodrigo Sauaia, president of the Brazilian Solar Energy Association (ABSOLAR).

"We are in a pivotal year, with the commissioning of the first large solar power plants. The installed capacity, which stood at less than 90 MW in January, is expected to reach 1 gigawatt (GW) by the end of this year. year. Without counting 2 other GW in phase of construction ".

An expansion facilitated by a sharp drop in the costs of solar panels. Their price has been almost divided by ten over the past ten years.

"The fact that this is the first project to use locally manufactured photovoltaic modules contributes to the development of these technologies in Brazil", emphasizes Rodrigo Sauaia.

The government continues to bet on oil

Despite these advances, many efforts remain to be made. "The sunshine is much higher than that of a country like Germany, for example, which is much more advanced", notes Mauro Lerer, engineer of Solarize, a company which provides training courses in solar energy in Rio de Janeiro. .

Mauro Lerer points to a "lack of interest from the government, which continues to rely heavily on oil" and does not offer tax incentives to investors in solar.

"Taxes should be reduced to stimulate investment. Many people would like to go solar, including individuals, but do not have the means," he concludes.

In fact, Chile's potential is such that FRV recently relocated its regional headquarters from Brazil to Chile.

The government is not the only actor to recognize the growing need for renewable energy. Pavon says there is also a strong link between climate change and the need for renewable energy in the minds of the Chilean public.

Chile is over 4,000 km long, with different climates, but rainfall is generally low and the country has suffered a drought for 13 years. Add to this the bad reputation of hydropower, it's no surprise, Pavon says, that Chile's early adoption of renewables, and the favorable regulatory framework for renewables that accompanies, means that, together with Brazil, the country has the potential to become one of the continent's success stories in renewable energy.

Invest in water

The drought in Chile has highlighted the urgent need to invest in another vital part of the infrastructure of life: water. According to information from the Meteorological Directorate of Chile, only 82 mm of precipitation has been recorded in Santiago since the beginning of 2019.

The situation is even more worrying in the region of Valparaíso, in the center of the country, where it suffers a period of 12 months the driest in the region for a century.

While this lack of rainfall has obvious negative effects on the country's agricultural sector, it also has implications for Chile's electricity supplies - around 50% of the country's electricity being produced by hydropower - and its mining operations, which also require large quantities of fresh water.

The investment includes several operation and maintenance contracts in the industrial water sector, as well as a set of mobile and multipurpose water treatment units, which provide short-term or emergency solutions to industrial customers.

This portfolio is expected to grow rapidly with the development of hydraulic infrastructure projects and the provision of operation and maintenance services for a wide range of industrial sector clients looking to outsource these needs.

Amid the uncertainty, disruption and economic contraction caused by the recent pandemic, it is heartening and heartwarming that there are still positive indicators of a better future that is not so far away.

Take the global energy sector. Although consumption of most fuels globally fell in this particular year, renewables have gone against the grain and faced unprecedented demand. The spearhead of this growth has been solar energy.

In 2020, solar energy saw a 23% expansion of new photovoltaic installations, reaching nearly 135 GW worldwide. To know more about installation cost is necessary to get rid of many misconceptions.

Largest Solar Plants in Latin America

1.-Villanueva solar plant:

Located in Viesca in the state of Coahuila in Mexico, this plant has an annual generation of up to 1,700 GWh and a production capacity of 828MW. It is considered the largest photovoltaic silver in America. It has an area of 2400 hectares. The estimated investment was 650 million dollars. This plant was the first to be consolidated thanks to the energy reform carried out in the country.

2.-Nova Olinda solar plant:

Located in Ribera do Piauí in Brazil, this solar plant is the largest in that country. It is capable of generating up to 600 GWh per year and has a production capacity of 292 MW. This energy is produced thanks to its 926,985 solar panels.

It is estimated that this plant is capable of powering up to 300,000 homes per year. Thanks to this, it is estimated that the plant prevents 350,000 tons of CO2 from being dispersed into the environment.

The plant has an area of 690 hectares. The plant was developed by the company specialized in sustainable infrastructure development PROIDEL.

3.- Pirapora solar plant:

Like the previous plant, this plant is located in Brazil, specifically in Minas Gerais. It has a production capacity of 284MW and a generation of 232GWh per year. The plant has a total area of 400 hectares.

This complex has been built in parts. In the case of Pirapora 1, the approximate cost was $ 210 million, Pirapora 2 cost $ 100 million while Pirapora 3 cost approximately $ 75 million.

The financing and development of the complex has been carried out by Canadian solar and EDF renewables.

4.-Don José solar plant:

This plant is located in the state of Guanajuato in Mexico. It has a production of 260MW. This plant has an area of 1,300 hectares, in which 850,000 solar panels are placed. An investment of 220 million dollars was made for its construction.

The plant was made by the Enel Green Power company. The Mexican government offered to develop 10% of the plant. Currently, thanks to Don José, it is estimated that the dispersion of 340,000 tons of CO2 into the environment is avoided.

5.-Ituverava solar plant:

The last place on our list is also in Brazil, specifically in the Bahia region, this plant has a generation of 254MW and has a land area of 579 hectares.

Capable of producing 550GWh per year, it is estimated that it feeds approximately 270,000 families per year and avoids the emission of 320,000 tons of CO2.

This plant, like that of Don José in Mexico, was developed by Enel Green Power and cost approximately $ 400 million.

A bright future despite a supply chain setback
The data proves, should it be needed, that solar power is here to stay, despite sporadic logistical hurdles.

For example, fires at two silicon manufacturing plants in China (a key exporter of solar PV modules) halved the country's silicon production in 2020.

These incidents offset the 25% drop in module prices. solar energy recorded in the first half of 2020, and in September, caused silicon prices to soar by 60%. The costs of other essential materials for solar panels also increased in the second half of the year. Prices for PV glass, for example, have increased by half due to delays in modernizing production lines.

While prices for steel and copper have increased by 40% between September 2020 and March 2021, as industries have rebounded from COVID downturns and demand has increased.High oil prices have tripled transportation costs, affecting profitability at a critical time.

Meanwhile, in Latin America, a new solar capacity of 21 GW is slated for 2021/2022, with rapid solar growth expected in Brazil and Chile.

Brazil's advantageous net pricing system will trigger a rapid expansion of distributed PV projects, as the large-scale Chilean market anticipates high levels of activity boosted by past auctions.

The cancellation of clean energy certificate auctions is expected to hamper new developments in Mexico. However, many large-scale projects already under development will be operational in 2021/2022, before new rules come into force.

Australia faced an oversupply of clean energy certificates in 2020, hampering profitability on a large scale. Corporate PPAs are expected to restore business confidence and 9 GW of additional solar capacity is planned for 2021/2022.

Further down the political chain, some states are encouraging the growth of distributed PV by supporting the expansion of battery storage facilities.

India's solar capacity additions tripled in 2021 compared to 2020, with several large-scale projects emerging late. The government awarded 27 GW of solar contracts in 2020 through auctions, ensuring continued PV growth this year and next.

However, the lack of regulatory harmony between states continues to limit the expansion of distributed PV. Globally, India is forecasting 26.1 GW of new solar capacity in 2021/22.

Politics, as we can see, is essential for a thriving solar energy market. And 2021 could be a historic year for renewable energy policies globally.

What Are Some Interesting Facts About Solar Energy?

Gurcharan Singh — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 08:15:31 +0000

Some interesting facts about solar energy or the power of the sun. If you mean something else like, solar pv plants etc then you can let me know.

If we add the amount of solar energy that is absorbed by the Earth’s atmosphere, land and oceans every year, we end up with approximately 3,850,000 EJ (exajoules or 10^18 joules).

To put it in more understandable terms, this amount of energy is equivalent to:

2.7 million earthquakes of the same size as the Tohoku earthquake in Japan (2011).
40 000 times the total energy consumption in the United States
8 000 times the total consumption in the whole world.
Abou t 40% of the energy that is required to heat the entire volume of water we have on Earth by 1°Celsius.

Solar panels for home systems typically come with a 10 to 12-year warranty, although there are promises of 20–30 years of service. These home installations take 15 to 25 years just to break even. Many homeowners have lost money on their solar investment, which cost $3-$4/watt and still find it necessary to rely on the grid.

When reviewing solar farms, aka photovoltaic power stations, the installation and maintenance of the systems are expensive.
This is why solar energy production must be subsidized by state and federal governments. Since solar cannot provide a consistent energy supply, because of seasonal changes, a maximum of 6 hours peak performance, or the vagaries of the weather.

Utility companies must back up their solar projects with gas-fired or coal-fired electric generation. Until battery technology improves, renewable energy only proposals will be impractical.
The spectacular failure of solar manufacturer Solyndra is being touted by some as a shining example of the Obama administration’s failure to properly manage government subsidies.
Solyndra’s collapse left taxpayers “holding the bag” with $535 million in federally guaranteed loans. But Solyndra’s failure on its own is not remarkable. Many subsidized enterprises require an exhaustive infusion of tax dollars to break even.

Solar power is a noble enterprise but it can never replace nuclear or fossil fuels for reliable and efficient energy production. The fact that solar provides the least amount of serviceable power, comes as no surprise.

Solar contributes best to a grid where there is a complementary second source of renewable generation in place. Solar is available only during the day and clear better in summer than in winter. West Texas wind is better at midnight than noon, and stronger in winter than summer - a perfect foil.
In South America wind in some locations is complementary to solar, but in others has a high correlation, which is less desirable.

Complementary renewables reduce the fraction of the time when neither renewable can meet demand, which also reduces the storage capacity of both short and long term storage required to fill those gaps.

Also, the solar panels might be good to go for a total of 40 to 50 years. After that, they could be replaced with panels that are more developed and with better efficiency.

Installation of the solar panels can be really costly; however, they are absolutely worth it. They are both- energy as well as cost-efficient. All in all, they are a very wise and a very valuable investment.

The bottom line is that solar is booming around the world, and the trend shows no signs of slowing down. Investors across the energy spectrum should take notice.

Java Script typing

Gurcharan Singh — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 11:56:58 +0000

How Should You Start Learning Programming?

Gurcharan Singh — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 09:30:15 +0000

Trying to start to learn how to code by yourself goes like this:

and then there are two possible outcomes, either this one:

or this one:

No matter the route you take, it doesn’t really matter as long as you practice a ton. Look through the popular languages and decide which one you want to start with. I’d go with one of the following: Java, Swift, Python, C, C++, smalltalk, PHP. It doesn’t matter that much, and before you get a job doing it you’ll probably want to have bounced around a little bit.

Instead of giving step by step instructions, I’m going to give you a few pointers. Please pay attention to these, don’t just be like “yeah whatever.” Following these tips will make you grow way faster, and if you actually follow these tips completely, you’ll probably be the fastest learning programmer in history. Nobody follows these rules until way later than they should have, and everyone regrets it a bit.

It’s not a huge deal because everyone does it, but you can seriously make a huge difference. You could be job-ready in 3 months easy if you practice every day and do this stuff. If you don’t, I’d say you’re probably looking at about 1–3 years of practice at least before anyone hires you.

So without further ado, and in somewhat of a loose order of most to least important, my guide to learning how to program:

Practice way more than you study/read. Don’t just read how to do things, try them. You’ll find that most of the time, there’s complexities that aren’t mentioned in the text, and you’ll learn way more. Just because you think you know how to make a class in C++ doesn’t mean you even know how to get the code to compile. This is by far the most important point.

Don’t learn a programming language, learn to program. Sure, you’ll use a programming language and get proficient with it, but it’s just a tool. If you pick up a book from start to finish on a language, you’ll have learned so much stuff you are never going to use.

If you insist on using a textbook, use one that emphasizes examples, or teaches you a programming practice like web development or machine learning. Most programming language focused textbooks aren’t good as anything but a reference.

Furthermore, it’s really important not to be tied to any one language, especially as a beginner. There’s a ton of great material out there that is taught in a certain language, but is universally important. You should be able to learn from examples that are written in a language you’ve never used.

Try random stuff. Try new frameworks, packages, languages, ideas, etc. just to see how they work. Never made an app? Try it. Never used a front end JS framework? Try it. Buy an arduino. Get a book on object oriented design. Try using a NoSQL database for your next project, or try using a hosted database on AWS.

Don’t take days off. Taking time off takes you ‘out of the zone.’ You want these problems in the back of your mind at all times. Taking days off forces you to get back in the zone, and remember things. I come up with solutions to problems or cool ideas all the time, whether I’m driving home from work or at the gym.

Make programming a hobby. Learn to enjoy it. This comes with straying away from reading textbooks, and practicing more. Make cool shit. Get experience. Don’t say “I heard that’s a bad idea.” Say “that’s a bad idea, this is what happened to me when I tried that.” Nobody gives a shit about what you read in a textbook, I promise. Well at least not nearly as much as they care about what you experienced firsthand.

Finish projects 100%. Don’t say ‘eh it’s pretty much done.’ and move on. Finish it. Publish it. Tell your parents and friends to use it. You’ll never know how much work was actually left. The very end of a project can introduce massive holes in your code. Even moreso, once you’ve launched it, your users will find plenty more. Get it published and get people using it.

Network. Quora has introduced me to a lot of cool programmers that have tons of knowledge to give me. I’ve also worked with some kickass engineers/developers that gave me a ton of priceless knowledge. Work in a team as much as possible, it will teach you how companies do things at scale. Version control, task management, code documentation, code readability, loose coupling of objects, etc. are all way more important when working on projects with others.

Read tech blogs and info sites. Quora is a great one. Techcrunch, w3School, Dev.to,Techmeme, Medium, Stackoverflow, Linkedin, and facebook are the ones I use the most.